Along The Path
by alongthepath
Summary: It starts out much like 'Twilight,' but once things begin to unravel, Forks is turned upside down.
1. The First Day

_The First Day_

Forks was just like I remembered it; dreary, demoralizing, bleak. Nothing's changed besides a plus one to it's population of 3,532. And of course, driving in the back of my father, Charlie's police car was just the cherry on top. I suppose I couldn't really complain. I could have gone on the road with my mother, Renée and her boyfriend, Phil, but a year long road trip, and being home-schooled wasn't really the customary.

"What's on your mind Bell's?" Charlie asked, eyeing me from the rear-view-mirror. The awkwardness that filled the car was nearly unbearable. I wasn't used to seeing my dad very often. A five minute phone call once a month was the norm. His partner, Waylon sat in the passenger seat and didn't make things any more pleasant.

"Nothing," I replied, dryly. My brother, Emmett was lucky. He didn't have to deal with the dreary of dealing with parents anymore. He was off living the college life in Pittsburgh. I sighed in envy.

Charlie and Waylon conversed the rest of the way to the house, and decided on having a beer together. We finally arrived at the Swan residence and the rain started to gush. _My favourite_.

"Grade eleven starts tomorrow," Charlie reminded me, and I didn't think things could get worse. I reminded myself that I would only have to be here a year, Arizona better be waiting for my return.

The next morning, I arrived at Forks high-school extra early. The school counsellor awaited my entrance to give me my time-table for the semester. I was to start my day with biology, taught by Mr. Molina. That was followed by English, math, and gym – the worst class of the bunch. Since biology was at the other end of the school, I embarked on the journey over. Along the way, a squeaky voice interrupted me.

"Hi, I'm Eric," an unfamiliar face said. I introduced myself, but he already knew who I was. "It's a small town," he explained, and then he began to walk with me to my class. He informed me of the teachers, calling most of them dull and lifeless, and then invited me to get together with him and a couple of friends after school.

"Sounds like a plan," I replied with a smile. So far so good, I thought. Eventually, we arrived at Biology class and I thanked Eric for walking me.

"I have this class too," He chuckled. "But I have to go save a seat for my friend, Mike," he said as he went off to the front of the class. I resolved that I would sit in the back. It was near the door, and then maybe nobody would notice me. The desks were aligned in twos and I assumed nobody would want to sit beside the new girl anyway.

I was right. The second bell rang, and I was the only person in the class to be sitting alone.

"All right class," the teacher said, as he sauntered into the room. Everyone began whispering.

"Who are you?" Said a student, who appeared to be Mike.

"I'm Mr. Cullen," he said serenely. "Mr. Molina has had an accident and will not be able to make it for the rest of the semester," he went on to explain. "I will be filling in." The whispering in the classroom grew louder, but was interrupted by the pallid, statue-like teacher once again. "Thank you for joining us," he declared as the whole class turned around to look.

A cluttered figure prowled through the door. He had light-brown messy hair and wore a plaid shirt that was unevenly buttoned. Yet something about him seemed very enthralling.

"And you are?" Mr. Cullen asked, irritated.

"Edward Masen," he said shyly, and then he sat down next to me. I curiously looked at him and he grinned in return. Mr. Cullen gave an outline of the course and handed out papers to all the students. I looked down and read: Name your interests and hobbies. I quickly jotted down some drivel for each question and waited for the class to end.

"Are you new?" Edward abruptly asked. I looked at his face but I was instinctively engrossed by his hazel eyes. I quickly looked away, embarrassed.

"Uh- y-yes," I dimly stuttered. "Im Bella," I added. "Bella Swan."

"Nice to meet you Bella," he said with an enticing smile. "I'm Edward Masen, If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. I don't bite," he chuckled. The bell rang before I could respond.

"Everyone hand in the papers by the door before leaving please," Mr. Cullen announced before dismissing the class. When I looked back, Edward was already gone.


	2. The Dream

_The Dream_

My first day of school turned out rather ordinary, the worst part undoubtedly being gym class. I felt sorry for anyone who had to witness me being completely uncoordinated. My graceless attempt at playing volleyball was an embarrassment. At least it's all over for today, and something good did come out of it, more like _someone_ good. With the dreading thought of going back to gym class, I could also look forward to the best part of the day, Biology.

I had now arrived at The Lodge to get together with Eric and his friends. It was one of the more embellished places in Forks, considering how small of a town it was. Inside, it was quite dark, most of the luminescence came from dull lamps and fireplaces. There were pool tables in one corner, next to that, a vacant bar, tables for people who had come out to eat, and a lounge area which was where Eric and I were seated, waiting for the others to arrive.

"Mike and Jessica should be here soon," Eric notified me. "They're dating, and I wouldn't try getting too close to Mike. Jessica is quite the jealous type."

"I wasn't planning on it," I assured him. Eric was very easy to get along with. Since he was so outgoing, there never seemed to be an awkward moment. He smiled a lot and I could recognize that he was a good pal. Eric waved towards the door, and when I looked over I saw Jessica and Mike walking in our direction, hand in hand. They looked happy together.

"Hey Bella, I'm Mike, and this is Jessica," he said leering at the pretty girl.

"Hi," She said with a smile, and then she sat down next to Eric. "Angela will be here soon," she added. Mike and Jessica appeared to be pretty congenial, but Mike kept staring at me which made things a little tense. Jessica was talking to Eric, but once she noticed, she stopped talking to him, and irately began speaking with Mike. I smiled at Eric and he smiled back in acknowledgement.

Mike began grumbling about Mr. Molina being in the hospital. "He is the best teacher in the school," Mike declared. "And Mr. Cullen creeps me out. He looks like a freak." I could understand where Mike was coming from. When I first saw Mr. Cullen, he looked oddly peculiar, or maybe, it was just that he appeared to be flawless. His skin was unblemished and unusually pale. He had thick, blonde hair that came to be perfectly styled. Something was definitely off.

"Guess who Bella had to sit with in Biology today?" Mike asked Jessica, who just shrugged. "Edward Masen," He laughed followed by more chuckling.

"What's wrong with Edward?" I asked, oblivious to the comical aspect of it all. The only response I got was: "Edward is weird, along with his sister, Alice." I told them that I thought he was nice, but they just teased me. The subject was then changed when Jessica began gossiping about some girl from school.

"Hey look, it's Angela," Eric proclaimed, waving once again. The figure that emerged from behind the door was a petite, young girl. She had black, wavy hair and thick glasses that sat on her face.

"Hey, sorry guys," Angela said as she approached the table. "My dad came home late so I didn't have a ride. They ended up closing down the construction sight he was working on, just out of town and let me tell you, he is not happy at all. Oh sorry!" She said once more, noticing my presence. "You must be Bella! Im Angela," she introduced, beaming. Angela gave the impression of being a really nice girl. There would be no other way to describe her accurately.

"Nice to meet you," I said in reply. Our table became the loudest in the restaurant, mostly because of Eric's sharp voice and Jessica's deafening gossip. Most of the time I just sat there, listening to them talk. The finest part of it was that they all appeared to be genuine people, Eric and Angela in particular. By the end of it, I was reasonably content.

After a phone call from Charlie and a few good-byes, I made my way home at about five. Eric drove me and I thanked him for everything, to which he replied, "Not a problem," with his customary smile. "See you tomorrow," he added, as I walked toward the house.

The door to my new home creaked when I opened it, acquiring Charlie's attention.

"Bella? Is that you?" Charlie shouted from the living room.

"Yeah it's me," I replied, reassuring him. I walked into the room to see Charlie and Waylon watching football and drinking beers. _Nothing new. _Charlie asked the typical questions of 'how was your day?' and 'did everyone treat you well?' to which I replied with the typical answers of 'good' and 'yes.' Everything seemed faultlessly normal.

"I've got a surprise for you!" Charlie excitedly announced. I anxiously bit my lip, and next the thing I knew, I was being lead out to the back yard. I wasn't really one for surprises, but I was intrigued to see what Charlie had arranged.

When I was thirteen years old, my mother and brother, Emmett drove me to a nearby hall. It was one week before my birthday, and we were looking for a location to hold a party. We had finally arrived, only to witness a room full of friends and family yelling, "Surprise!" At that time it was one of the most frightening occurrences that had happened to me. Although, soon after I did learn to appreciate all of it. I was hoping that this wouldn't be the same.

I walked through the back door and there it sat, a beat-down, 1953 chevy pick-up truck. The sides were vaguely corroding and it looked filthy, but I couldn't have asked for more. I particularly liked the red colour, even though nearly half of it was browning from rust.

"It's perfect!" I exclaimed. What made everything better was how ecstatic Charlie was about my appreciation for it. I gave him a hug, and the feeling of his hands firmly on my back was comforting, a feeling I hadn't felt in years. My pessimism for Forks was slowly withering away.

"Your old friend Jacob Black fixed it up with the help of his dad, Billy," Charlie informed me. "You should probably go give them a visit sometime soon and thank them."

I agreed and continued to gape at my new truck. I had failed to recall Jacob for some time now. The sad thing was, we used to be such good friends with each other.

"I should probably go get started on my homework," I reluctantly said.

"Okay, well I ordered pizza for dinner, so I'll call you when its here," Charlie said. Subsequently, I decided that I would prepare dinner for us every night.

After completing my homework and devouring supper, I decided to get some sleep. Walking in to my bedroom was somewhat depressing. The colourless walls and scarcely furnished room wasn't a pretty sight. I slumped on to my bed after brushing my teeth and washing my face. The mattress was a little lumpy, but it wasn't long until I drifted to sleep.

Edward Masen sauntered toward me with a crooked smile and an object in his hand. I patiently waited as I admired his distinguishing features. His hazel eyes that I could gaze at all day, his muddled, light brown hair that I could caress my fingers through. "Close your eyes," he whispered with his gentle voice, and so I did. All I could see was darkness, but I could feel his presence surrounding me. His warmth and his gaze that was fixed upon me. I unlatched my eyes.

Edward was gone. I ran through an eternal room in search, but he was nowhere to be found. The lonely feeling came with a coldness that was soon disrupted by warm drops striking my face. I grazed the liquid with my hand, merely to comprehend that it was really blood. I looked upward, witnessing icy, black eyes staring back at me. I began to run once again.

There he was, at what appeared to be the end of the room. Edward Masen rested on the concrete ground. I mumbled his name but there was no response. When I progressed myself closer I became aware that he was covered in blood, and his pulse was idle. Edward was dead, and in his hand he held a heart, which still carried a beat. The pounding echoed in my ears, until I awoke to the sound of my tiresome alarm.

My breathing was deep and my eyes were wide open. Outside, the sky was still dark. I hoisted myself up and began getting ready for school. The nightmare was etched into my mind; the cold eyes that stared at me, Edward's dead body. I couldn't wait to see the light of day, which likely wouldn't come. Forks wasn't accustomed to seeing the sunlight very much.

As I made my way down stairs, the smell of syrup filled my nose.

"I made pancakes," Charlie said with a grin, and I thanked him. "I have to get to work though Bell's, see you after school," he added, walking out the door. I briskly ate the pancakes and went off to drive my, somewhat new, pick-up truck.

The drive over to Forks high-school went by pleasantly. It took a couple of tries to start up the truck, but other than that, it ran ideally. Since today was a new day, the block order went differently. I had English first, then gym, followed by biology, and concluding with math. Biology ended up coming rather fast. I spent lunch with Eric's crowd and I hadn't seen Edward all day, so I looked forward to his arrival. The second bell rang, and there he came.

Today, Edward wore a blue sweater and he left his hair down. Mr. Cullen gave the class notes on blood types, followed by an assignment which gave time for me and Edward to talk.

"How did your first day at Forks turn out?" Edward attentively asked.

"It was.. adequate," I said, smiling, but seeing him brought back violent images from the dream.

"My friend Jasper is having a party this Friday, you're welcome to come," he said.

"Does he go here?" I asked.

"No, he already graduated. But he said that I could bring some one, and I thought, since you didn't know too many people it could give you a chance to be introduced to some," he said. As long as Edward would be there, I would desire to go.

"I'll be there," I declared. For the rest of the class, I tried to finish my homework so I wouldn't have to do it later that night. Mr. Cullen just anxiously sat at his desk the whole time, and he kept drinking from a silver thermos. The bell rang and I packed up my binder.

"See you Friday," Edward said with a crooked smile, and he wandered off. I was excited to be with Edward outside of school. It would give us time to talk without being trapped by the confines of class. I became aware that the rest of the week would go by exceptionally slow as I waited for Friday.


End file.
